


It Was Cold

by Harmony283



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: (if you squint), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, In the Beginning, Minor Character Death, THIS DOES FOLLOW CANON, Where Kanda and Tiedoll find Allen first, pre-Yullen, so all warnings for that apply, some mention of blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-07
Updated: 2016-06-07
Packaged: 2018-07-12 19:51:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7120099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Harmony283/pseuds/Harmony283
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“What’s his name?” Kanda decided to ask instead.</p><p>That had Cross turning back to him, kind of bewildered. He thought about this probably longer than Kanda thought was necessary (seriously did he not remember the kid’s name?) before answering: “Allen. You can call him Allen. Technically he doesn’t have a last name, but I guess we can wait on that until he wakes up.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Was Cold

**Author's Note:**

> Uploading because today is still technically Kanda's birthday, at least in my timezone, so I figured I should celebrate it by writing a fic! Technically I've had this one sitting on my computer for a bit, because it was originally based off a prompt I was given a few months ago (I can no longer find the original one? For some reason?) Clearly it's expanded, and I actually really like where it went. This is probably the first canon (in a sense) fic I've written for DGM that I can say I'm actually really proud of!

Kanda stared down at the young boy propped against the tombstone and in that moment it was like his voice got swallowed up. He couldn’t yell for Tiedoll to come any faster, the man was still mourning the loss of one of their Finders who had gotten hit by an Akuma bullet, he’d come at his own pace. Besides the boy didn’t look like he was moving (actually…he was covered in an alarming amount of blood), and there were no Akuma in sight.

Kanda made his legs move into the graveyard, over to where the boy sat lifelessly propped and frowned, raising Mugen.

It could always be that _this_ boy was a recently turned Akuma. Normally it was the reverse: the mother mourning the child—but fuck it. The Earl was screwed up enough, and children naïve enough to fall for his ‘magic’.

He finally got his voice to work long enough to ask. “Are you an Akuma?”

Only for those half dead eyes— _eye_ , considering one was currently slashed through to oblivion and still bleeding sluggishly—to blink blearily at him.

Kanda wasn’t sure what he saw in those eyes, but it was definitely human. An Akuma couldn’t fake that amount of pain.

**000**

It was probably a legitimately stupid idea to try and carry the boy to wherever he’d last seen Tiedoll, but he knew he couldn’t just leave him there in the cold, bleeding like he was. Even worse was the fact that he was _pretty sure_ his arm wasn’t just covered in blood. Or heavily injured. That red skin was actually legitimately _skin_ and that scarred hand looked too old and too… _odd_ to be recent. It made Kanda vaguely nauseous to be around that much blood, not to mention the boy didn’t seem to be able to hold onto him, so he was carrying him almost in a bridal-style carry.

Which, considering he hadn’t hit his second growth spurt yet, and the boy was probably only three or so years younger than him, made the entire feat almost impossible.

But he managed it, because it was _cold_ and he didn’t plan on freezing to death while waiting for Tiedoll to finish crying. It was only when he saw the telltale sign of another Akuma crumbling to dust that he realized _oh maybe I didn’t see all of them_. Well. That was stupid. But Tiedoll was his Master, and a General. He could handle himself.

Though maybe it was mean of him to show up like that. He was probably covered in this kids blood, which Tiedoll could easily mistake for his own, and considering what just happened –

“Oh! Yuu!” Kanda cringed, waiting for impact, only for Tiedoll to stop a few feet in front of him. “W-What on earth?”

Kanda staggered a little, his arms finally growing tired enough (he wouldn’t call it _relief_ ) to let go of the boy he’d practically half dragged here. “It’s his.” He mumbled. “The blood. H-He’s hurt.”

“I can see that.” Tiedoll, to his credit, remained very calm. Much calmer than Kanda expected him too, despite the tears still brimming at his eyes. “Let’s get him to the hospital.” He scooped the boy up gingerly and led the way to the closest hospital.

**000**

Kanda heard arguing late that night. At first he thought it was between two other patients, or a patient’s family and a nurse until he heard Tiedoll’s voice, low but angrier than he’d ever heard it.

“You can’t take care of this boy!” Kanda snuck up to the door of the boy’s hospital room (he’d fallen asleep standing guard, but like he’d actually tell Tiedoll that). “You have no means, and you’ve never even taken an apprentice before!”

“I don’t fucking care.” The other voice practically growled back. It wasn’t one that he recognized immediately, “I came here specifically for that brat.”

“And _why_ is that, General Cross?” Ah. Well. That answered that. The elusive General, who made grand appearances at headquarters only to disappear again in a drunken flourish. “If you can give me one good reason why then _maybe_ I’ll think about it.”

The silence that followed stretched on for a good couple of minutes until finally, General Cross replied. “I promised.”

Two words.

Two words was all it took.

**000**

The next day Kanda walked into the boy’s room after a much needed shower to find General Cross sitting in the seat he’d just vacated. The man was just as overwhelming as the one or two other times Kanda had seen him, with a mess of red hair, and broad shoulders that looked like they could carry twice their weight. His gun was still on his holster on his leg, and he had his hands clasped together between his knees like he was deep in thought.

“So you’re Tiedoll’s newest brat.” But of course he still noticed him. One red eye looked to him with both curiosity and a look of mild disdain. “I guess I should be thanking you for dragging the brat all the way to your Master, eh?”

Kanda stared at him. “….Depends. Would you actually be thankful?”

Cross raised an eyebrow at him and then snorted. “I forgot you have a mouth on you. Not like that guy at all.” Then he turned his focus back onto the boy in the bed and immediately the mood shifted, to something sadder but at the same time…angrier? Confused? Kanda didn’t understand. Maybe it was an adult thing. Promising to take care of someone’s kid (Kanda could only assume the grave the boy was at had been a parents’) was a pretty hefty decision.

“What’s his name?” Kanda decided to ask instead.

That had Cross turning back to him, kind of bewildered. He thought about this probably longer than Kanda thought was necessary (seriously did he not remember the kid’s name?) before answering: “Allen. You can call him Allen. Technically he doesn’t have a last name, but I guess we can wait on that until he wakes up.”

Then he reached out and brushed a strand of white hair away from the boy’s bandaged eye. Kanda was almost certain he wasn’t supposed to see it.

General Cross was weird.

**000**

“And you’re letting him take him?”

“Yes.” Tiedoll’s reply was terse, his eyes never once leaving the door that was now firmly shut as the doctor talked to Cross. “Though I did promise to meet up with him at least twice a month at first to see how he was doing. The last thing we need is that man scarring a child that young.”

Kanda blinked up at Tiedoll. “And he’d…do that?”

Tiedoll laughed, but there was no humor in it. “You don’t want a man like that raising a child. Trust me.” Then his face softened here, when Cross walked out of the room, but before he noticed them waiting. “But who knows? Maybe I’ll be proven wrong. I hope so.”

**000**

For the first month Cross and Allen completely disappeared.

Apparently Tiedoll already knew they would, or at the very least he didn’t seem overly concerned when the higher ups started asking _him_ where they’d run off to. Tiedoll never really gave them an answer, and before Kanda knew it they were being sent off on a mission that oh so conveniently landed with them being close to Cross and Allen’s location.

The boy was standing on his own two feet now, both eyes uncovered and with a horrific scar over his left eye. But he was smiling and saying “Master they’re here!” with only a little hesitation. Tiedoll had warned that he might not remember them, considering the trauma that had just happened. Judging from the expression on the boys face, though, Kanda could tell he sort of remembered them. _But what parts?_

Immediately Tiedoll seemed to corner Cross, ushering Allen and Kanda away in the opposite direction with the excuse, “Let the adults talk now!” Then the door slammed in their faces and Kanda was left with a very bewildered Allen. Well then.

He glanced at Allen.

Allen nervously looked back.

“Y-You’re Kanda Yuu, right?” He stumbled over the words like he still wasn’t used to speaking much. Somehow the words felt wrong, though. Too polite, for a kid his age. “Um—you brought me to the—to the hospital right? C-Carried me?”

That at the very least shocked Kanda a little bit. So he was conscious for—that part? Kanda looked away. “You were heavy.”

Not what he meant to say but—

“S-Sorry!”

Kanda flinched, but before he could reply the voices on the other side of the door got louder.

Immediately Allen scooted closer. “They’re fighting over me, aren’t they?” His voice definitely didn’t sound like a normal kid’s. It was too serious. _Creepy_. That was one word for it. “W-What did I do wrong?”

Kanda sighed heavily here. “It’s probably not you.” If he was completely honest with himself. “My Master and your Master don’t like each other.” _At all_. “When we found you he wanted to take you, but General Cross wanted you more for some reason.” That alone had a pair of grey eyes staring at him.

“H-He wanted me?”

“Well…yeah. He’s training you isn’t he?”

Allen opened his mouth to reply, only to flinch when it sounded like something was being thrown. Then the door slammed open and Cross was storming out, shouting, “Brat, we’re leaving.”

For a split second Kanda saw a scowl flit over Allen’s face. It seemed much more at place there than the small smiles, or the sad expression. Not that he got to say much else before Allen was following after Cross hurriedly. “S-See you next time!” He called out, but Kanda could just barely hear him.

Then suddenly Tiedoll had a hand on his shoulder. “Oh? Are you two becoming friends?” He asked with a falsely cheerful smile.

Kanda snorted. “Of course not.”

**000**

The next few times Kanda hadn’t been with Tiedoll when he visited. So really, could anyone blame him when, roughly a year and two months later, he was suddenly asked, by Daisya of all people–

“Master’s askin’ ya if you wanna go with him to meet someone?” Kanda grit his teeth against allthat bright cheerful energy. “Why?”

“Do I have to?” Fuck he sounded like a petulant teenager.

“He says yeah you do.” Daisya eyed him curiously and _fuck Kanda’s life_. Seriously. “What’s–?”

“Tch. Nothing.” Kanda pushed himself up off the ground from where he’d been meditating and threw on his Exorcist jacket. If it wasn’t Daisya, then Tiedoll would probably come grab him next and he definitely didn’t want that.

Daisya let out a laugh. “Well okay then _don’t_ tell me.”

Three hours later and they were at a rather inconspicuous inn.

“How the fuck do you keep finding me?” Cross asked.

Tiedoll’s smile only widened.

And again Kanda was left alone with the—“Beansprout.” He muttered, staring at the white haired teen with a look of disdain.

“B-Beansprout?” Allen asked, staring at Kanda in shock. “H-Hello to you too, but why _Beansprout_?!”

“Because.” He was a newbie, he could tell from the bandages covering his Innocence that he’d pushed himself too hard recently. He still hadn’t learned his limits yet, so his synchronization rate was probably shitty still. Not that Kanda could blame him. Apparently his Innocence had saved him from being an akuma’s shell by attacking what was left of his ‘father’s’ soul before it could use him.

Not the worst shit that could happen but with how fucking weak the boy’s mental health was Kanda doubted it would’ve taken much to crack him to begin with.

He was still pretty resilient though.

(Kanda stared, in mild horror, as Allen threw himself at a Level 1. “It’s the only way he’ll fucking learn.” General Cross had muttered. “What else was I supposed to do?”

“Not _that_!” Tiedoll had practically shrieked.

Kanda decidedly stayed out of it)

As much as he could, anyway. Except just like last time _he_ was the one who wound up having to bandage up Allen’s injuries. “You…really.” It wasn’t like him to say _be more careful_ , because in the end it wasn’t up to him what Allen decided to do. Except he’d never hear the end of it from Tiedoll, who was yet again arguing with Cross on various training methodologies that Kanda didn’t really care about. “You know it’s attached to you, right?” He asked as he re-wrapped his arm for the third time.

Allen sagged a little against the headboard. “Yes.”

“Then I don’t need to tell you how fucking stupid it is that you just did what you did, right?” Because sure unlike Mugen, which was an equipment type, if Allen’s got injured it would be twice as hard to fix. Like setting a bone, or waiting for an arm to heal. Not that he’d ever experienced either–or at least not for very long.

“Are you telling me to be careful?”

Kanda wrapped the bandage a little too tight. “I’m telling you _not to be stupid_.”

And yet Allen still smiled at him like he’d said the best thing in the world. _Weird brat_.

**000**

“You know the offer still stands.” Kanda overheard Tiedoll talking to Allen after another meet up that turned disastrous very, very quickly. Cross had pretty much made an ultimatum that this would be _the final visit_ , and honestly Kanda didn’t know exactly what else was said behind closed doors (because he never thought Tiedoll was one to give up that easily) –but it worked.

Didn’t mean Tiedoll wasn’t going to try one last time to convince the boy to come with them.

Surprisingly, given there was no otherwise threatening influences looming over his head, Allen smiled and said: “Thank you for the offer but, no. I—It’s not so bad traveling with Master. I know he’s hard to deal with.” _Really, really hard to deal with_ , “But if I don’t do it then who will?”

“You know you aren’t obligated to, right?” Tiedoll asked with a frown.

The smile on Allen’s face turned a little sharper. “Oh I know. Trust me.” Something in that look had Kanda wanting to punch him. Or slice him up. He’d been getting that feeling more and more lately. “Besides, I think you have your hands full already.”

Kanda glared and Allen stuck his tongue out. “What the fuck was that?”

“Yuu, put Mugen away.”

“See what I mean?”

Kanda _really_ wanted to slice him up. But maybe later, when Tiedoll wasn’t around.

Which, of course, didn’t happen before Kanda was shipped off to search for another piece of Innocence, while General Tiedoll got sent down south to search for new accommodators.

 _Next time we meet_. He vowed, staring at the half packed suitcase in front of him. _I’ll fight you for real_.

**000**

Could anyone really blame Kanda, then, for being surprised when instead of being hauled off yet _again_ to go visit this brat of a kid, that brat of a kid _found them_?

Or at least that was the only thing pulling his blade back from the poor kid’s throat. “Beansprout?”

“K-Kanda?” Allen’s eyes were wide and slightly horrified. “I-It’s good to see you again…?”

Then Lenalee appeared next to him with a graceful, but curious, smile. “Oh? You two know each other?”

Kanda snorted. Allen grimaced. “Something like that?”

When Kanda dragged Allen to Komui’s office not even fifteen minutes later he explained: “This is Allen. I know he looks fucking weird but he isn’t an Akuma. Get your sensors checked!”

Komui had smiled and apologized profusely, but after that things went smoothly.

For the most part.

**000**

“So wait?” Jerry leaned forward, eyeing the new kid curiously. “He knows Kanda? And _hasn’t been_ sliced to bits?”

“Apparently.” Lenalee had to say she was…surprised was putting it lightly. Rumors were already cropping up about their newest member, seeing as he was General Cross’s apprentice, and yes Lenalee had heard that General Tiedoll sometimes dragged Kanda off to visit him, despite never actually saying where that man was, and whenever he came back he refused to speak about why they visited, who they visited, just that each time he came back a little more annoyed.

Suffice to say she was glad to finally _meet_ the person Kanda had supposedly been visiting. He wasn’t anything like she thought he’d be, but if he somehow got under Kanda’s skin then he couldn’t be all bad, right?

**000**

Or maybe Lenalee was too optimistic.

Mostly because after that initial meeting, Kanda and Allen somehow managed to avoid each other. Their schedules were, for the most part, different. Allen was a bit of a night owl, whereas Kanda was usually in bed promptly by 10PM, so he could wake up at 6AM and train for a while in the forest before breakfast. There were a few close calls, primarily when Kanda got to the cafeteria late only to realize Allen had eaten pretty much everything in sight (not that he cared, except for the fact that he apparently liked soba too). Either that or when Allen needed to be in the library at the exact same time as Kanda did to grab some book for Komui, because Lenalee was busy with other things or out on a mission.

Kanda wasn’t even sure Cross taught Allen how to read, and wasn’t that a sad thought? (Not that he liked reading himself, but that was beside the point).

Then there were one or two times, in the span of two weeks, where Kanda ran into Allen in the forest itself.

“S-So this is where you train.” Allen had stumbled back a few steps when Kanda nearly hit him with Mugen. “I a-always wondered–”

“Tch what do you want?”

“Lenalee wanted you for something!” That was his excuse the first time.

The second time Allen dropped by he didn’t even have an excuse. Or at least one that worked. But he avoided Mugen, and kept quiet, and sure that was kind of..odd. But Kanda shrugged it off.

They never really talked about it anyway.

**000**

Then they were finally put on a mission together. When Kanda first heard the news he grit his teeth, but said nothing at first–after all, who the hell was he to say no especially with Innocence being as rare as it was? Every piece was precious and needed to be collected as fast as possible. It was only when Allen expressed excitement at going on a mission so soon that Kanda spoke up:

“It’s not a fucking field trip.”

“I-I know that!” Allen snapped back with a frown. They had two hours to get ready and be by the gates ready to go. “I just wasn’t expecting to be sent out so soon!”

Kanda rolled his eyes. “Of course not.” He eyed Allen here. He’d grown, but not by much, since the last time he saw him, and thankfully his arm didn’t look injured, meaning at the very least he’d be at full percent capacity for this mission. He’d gotten his arm scanned by Helvaska and it was at a staggering 84% syncro rate–again not bad, for someone just starting out. “Hopefully you’ve gotten better.”

He was almost certain Allen hadn’t heard him, except suddenly he was being glared at. “I have!”

Kanda stared at him for a moment in disbelief, then shrugged. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”

**000**

The mission almost proved to be disastrous. Except of course for Allen’s eye. It wasn’t exactly the trump card Kanda had been expecting, and it made him feel strange, given he knew how he’d gotten it in the first place. But it had helped, and because of that they’d survived, for the most part. He’d been stupid and gotten far more injured than he expected, which wasted enough time as it was: the last thing he wanted to hear was that Allen had still waited, just like he promised, for Lala to stop singing.

“You’re way too soft.” Kanda said when he arrived at the ruins, watching as Allen sat there, listening to Lala’s fading song.

“You’re still here, aren’t you?” Allen snapped back, though it lacked any real bite considering most of it was said to his knees and not to Kanda’s face.

Kanda sighed. “Tch I’m not just going to leave you here.” He wasn’t sure it was that, or the final chords of Lala’s song finally coming to an end that had Allen looking up at him, he just knew that that expression? Wasn’t one he’d seen before. At least not directed at him.

(He’d never tell Allen this but when they went to finally take the Innocence he was wary. Anything could have happened. More Akuma could have cropped up. But no. Instead it _thanked him_ as if it _remembered_. Wasn’t that a scary thought all on its own?)

**000**

“He’s too soft.” Kanda muttered, leaning back against the wall at the local Inn they’d found to stop at for the night. Allen was the only topic of conversation that _didn’t_ make Tiedoll burst out in tears, especially after hearing about Daisya’s death. It was a small godsend, really, and Marie seemed interested to hear about him too. “He’s going to get himself killed.”

“Now Yuu,” Tiedoll said, mid-sniffle and _ah hell_ , “Please don’t jinx it!”

**000**

He really hadn’t meant to jinx it, but apparently death never lasted long, for Beansprout’s. He did still seem surprised when Tiedoll crushed him into a hug. And sure, they argued when the first thing Kanda asked was: “You’re not a ghost are you?”

“Do I look like a ghost to you?”

“With your white hair and pale face it’s kind of hard to tell–”

“Now Yuu! Don’t be mean–” Tiedoll tried, but Kanda ignored him.

“I think this is the way they let off steam.” Lenalee shook her head here at Chaoji and Krory’s bewildered expressions. “They…I’d say they _don’t get along_ , but–”

“He probably gets along with Yuu better than anyone else I know.” Lavi shook his head here. “Just let them have their fun. Shit’s probably gonna hit the fan soon anyway!”

And of course, it did. It always did.

**000**

“You aren’t staying.” Allen growled out and really, did Kanda expect anything less? “We’re not– _I’m not_ –leaving you behind!” He glanced at the Noah of Anger –Skinn Bolic, and then back at Kanda.

“Well too fucking bad.” Kanda muttered and turned back to face his opponent. “ _I’m telling you_ to leave!”

“No!”

“Who fucking knows what else you’ll run into!” And Lenalee was already heavily injured, not to mention they had _a human_ with them with absolutely no compatibility whatsoever! Lenalee and Chaoji both seemed to realize what he was thinking, and immediately Chaoji looked away, while Lenalee–

Scowled, but couldn’t really deny it, could she? “Kanda we aren’t–”

“ _Go_.” He glanced again at Skinn, who seemed almost ready to attack just based off of how long they were taking. “I’ll be fine.”

“You don’t know that!” Allen snapped, only for, ironically, _Lavi_ to come up to him and place a hand on Allen’s shoulder.

“Hey,” He looked between the two of them, “Look. Yuu can handle himself out there, okay? Or at least _he better_.” Lavi and him had been paired up before, for missions. Lavi was by far less annoying and more likely to let Kanda do whatever the hell he wanted, because even though he acted like a stupid rabbit half the time, he understood Kanda’s mindset scarily well.

Either that or he just didn’t like to fight that much. Whatever the case, Kanda was grateful for it now.

“Look–one of us would have to stay and protect Lenalee and Chaoji.” Lavi continued, “So that means either Krorykins or I would be with them, while the other one would be _fighting_. Can ya see why that’s bad?”

Allen winced a little. Kanda snorted. “See? You need to think of the big picture, idiot.”

“But–”

Kanda turned away again. “ _Go_. Now isn’t the time to be soft on this. I thought that General of yours taught you better than that.”

Allen made some sort of indignant huffing noise–because even now mentioning that man tended to put him up in arms _and_ wasn’t that man supposed to be here?

“Fine. Just. Promise me you’ll come find us when you’ve defeated him.” Kanda raised an eyebrow at that. No one needed to say that the chances of that were slim, he already knew that this was next to impossible, and that the only reason it _wasn’t_ was because of what he was. His trump card. “Or are you saying _you won’t_?”

“Tch, I will. Now leave. You’re distracting me.”

Lavi somehow managed to drag Allen away before he could shout something else at him, and it was actually Lenalee who got the last word: shouting “You’d _better meet up with us_!” Before they disappeared through the doorway into the next room.

And he kept his promise, didn’t he? Even though he felt like shit (more shit than usual) and drained, he somehow managed to drag Krory out of whatever room they left _him_ in–and found them. Apparently right after shit hit the fan just like he thought it would.

He wasn’t sure what all had happened, just that it had something to do with piano’s, and making the rooms he and Krory were in (as well as Lavi and Chaoji) ‘come back’, and somehow Allen was the one who did this? Even though he kept saying he didn’t know how to play a piano? What?

**000**

And then there was Cross.

Cross, who they left with Lenalee.

“Master!” God. Kanda kind of forgot how much Allen actually disliked his Master, even if it was only certain parts of him–like the womanizing part that would apparently hit on a woman about half his age. Did Cross age? He didn’t look like he’d aged a day and how many years had it been?

“Oi, stop yelling, brat!” Cross finally snapped, eyes flicking to the others, Kanda included. “Hn, quite a group you got here. What d’ya say we actually get this shit on the road.” He grimaced as he said that, though, and Kanda distinctly remembered– _Oh right_. This would be the first time he’d come back to the Order in _how long_?

**000**

Several hours later, after a touching reunion with everyone they left behind (which included copious amounts of crying, hugging, and _yelling_ when Tiedoll saw it was _Cross_ who was with them), Kanda found himself in a spare room on the Ark. Allen had…created it, for lack of a better word. He’d created all the extra rooms in the ark. Everyone got their own, and some –like Krory’s and Lenalee’s came with two beds so that someone could watch over them while they slept. His was just as space as his own room was, with just a bed along one wall and the same white tile flooring that made up most of the ark’s other rooms.

He’d received a change of clothing from their bags that somehow survived the Earl’s attack, and now he was sitting cross-legged on his bed, _trying_ to meditate. Trying, because every ten minutes or so someone would poke their head in. First it was Tiedoll, before he got distracted by Chaoji, then it was Miranda trying to introduce herself, then it was Lenalee trying to scold him for scaring Miranda somehow–followed immediately by Lavi trying to talk his ear off, and Bookman prodding at him like he thought he actually paid attention to the Noah he fought, instead of just trying to kill him.

Kanda was seriously about to find somewhere else to try and meditate except for the fact that he knew Allen would probably be able to find him because he was, apparently, entirely in control of the ark, meaning he could monitor _everyone_ if he wanted to. That thought alone was disturbing enough, so he’d rather stay put and deal with it than be caught off guard if he found him later.

Speaking of Beansprouts, Allen was the one one who hadn’t tried to visit yet. He knew it was probably because he was worried about Krory, who was in the worst condition than everyone else (he hadn’t woken up even after they got him settled and stable), but there was really nothing they could do until they reached The Order and got him medical treatment. Which meant–

“To see why you’re here when everyone else is about to eat.”

“Not hungry.”

“Uhuh,” Suddenly there was a rush of air and Kanda was opening his eyes on impulse. Allen was now leaning down in front of him. “I can understand avoiding everyone but _at least_ show yourself. You snapped at Lenalee, Miranda, Lavi, heck even Bookman and General Tiedoll–”

“Because they all wanted to bother me?”

“Then come out, eat something, then disappear again!”

“Kind of pointless while we’re on this thing.” Kanda snapped. “You’ll know where I am.”

Allen opened his mouth and shut it several times, kind of like a gaping fish. “…I wouldn’t _spy_ on you if that’s what you’re worried about!”

Kanda raised an eyebrow at that. “Really.”

“Yes!”

“Okay then.” Kanda slowly slid off the bed, and was it just him or was Allen getting taller? “I’ll go. Somewhere else. That isn’t here. And _you_ won’t tell anyone where I am.”

With that he shoved past Allen and left him staring after him in what used to be ‘his room’.

**000**

Ironically enough, Allen kept his promise, only coming to get him himself when they were close to landing. “Everyone’s waiting.” He motioned for Kanda to follow him, “You’re the last one.”

Kanda sighed and pushed himself up off the ground. He’d successfully meditated like he’d wanted, which left him feeling more centered than usual. Hell, he couldn’t even be all that annoyed when they did eventually make it back to the others–through a series of doors and rooms that didn’t seem like they should have connected _but did_ –only to be bombarded with questions.

One of which was Cross teasingly saying: “So you finally found pretty boy, eh? Something you want to tell me, brat?”

Not that Allen even got a chance to answer before Tiedoll was cutting him off, voice low and almost deadly: “I better not have heard what I thought I just heard.” Right behind Cross.

The fact that their arguing almost seemed normal, especially after the weirdness of the last twenty four hours, should have told Kanda something bad was going to happen. But he ignored it, and did his best to fucking _ignore everyone_ until the gate opened. He was only just barely successful, and it was only because of everything literally happening at once that he temporarily forgot about his own bad feelings.

**000**

Which mean that, naturally, shit hit the fan _again_.

Kanda was starting to think Allen had the worst luck.

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like I can do more with this ‘verse, but because of time constraints (i.e wanting to get it out today) I decided to cut it off where I did. So who knows? If I get enough time in the future to do another re-read of DGM there might be a part two! Otherwise, hopefully this will do <3


End file.
